All enterprise or workplace procedures and activities are carried out according to relevant government regulations, licensing and other compliance requirements, particularly food safety and hygiene regulations and procedures.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Communicate with suppliers and customers

1.1. Effective culturally appropriate business communication with Australian supplier and overseas customer is established and maintained and conducted in a professional manner.

1.2. Contact with supplier and customer is maintained until sale is completed (or terminated).

1.3. Correct product and market knowledge is demonstrated in all communications with supplier and customer.

2. Purchase product

2.1. Purchase orders for products are placed with approved suppliers.

2.2. Product description is sufficiently detailed so that customer's specifications, exporting and importing country's regulations are met.

2.3. Price, product description, time of delivery and payment terms are negotiated with supplier.

2.4. Contract to purchase is checked and approved by appropriate person before being forwarded to the supplier.

3. Pack and inspect product

3.1. Product to be exported is prepared, processed and packaged under conditions that meet exporting and importing country's requirements.

3.2. Product is labelled according to exporting country's regulations, importing country's requirements and product identification is recorded.

3.3. Product is checked before and after packing to ensure that it meets exporting and importing country's requirements, and, if required, samples are taken for independent analysis and records of checks are maintained.

3.4. Product which is part of a consolidated consignment is stored at the appropriate temperature until distribution to customer is implemented.

4. Complete documentation

4.1. All documentation associated with the transaction is completed.

4.2. Documentation shows all information required to identify product, supplier and customer contract and is completed to the satisfaction of exporting and importing country's requirements.

4.3. Contracts to supply product are not signed and dispatched until checked by appropriate person.

4.4. Copies of appropriate documentation are sent to approved storage firm, agent or direct to customer, as required.

5. Arrange distribution of product

5.1. Transportation is arranged to ensure that product reaches customer at the agreed time and condition.

6. Manage records

6.1. Records of all communications with supplier and customer are maintained and are filed against a contract number.

6.2. Records from transport company/cold storage firm/agent or customer are checked to confirm that correct product has been dispatched, product has been checked against manifest, the container number is consistent with that on the documentation and that the container's seal was still intact when dispatched.

6.3. Records, in compliance with packer's quality assurance program, are filed to provide records of product identification and traceability.

6.4. Records of export documentation are checked for completion before being filed against contract number.

6.5. Records of supplier/customer complaints are maintained and copies forwarded to the appropriate person for resolution.

Required skills

assessing seafood quality against a customer's specification

computer literacy for:

electronic filing, records and communications

using internet for market research, ordering and monitoring logistics

document production and spreadsheets

developing and maintaining a networking relationship with a range of suppliers

maintaining records of seafood inspections, transactions and communications with supplier

researching marketing information

negotiating price and sales arrangements

using culturally appropriate communication to establish and maintain relationships with suppliers.

Literacy skills used for:

completing complex forms

corresponding in writing

identifying and tracing product

preparing detailed specifications and contracts to supply and purchase product

reading and interpreting food standards

reading enterprise export procedures.

Numeracy skills used for:

calculating extensions of weight and price to give an accurate price of product

calculating foreign exchange rates

calculating total of invoice or statement

estimating gross profit margins, and/or calculating percentage mark-up.

Required knowledge

Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) regulations for export product

enterprise import procedures

importing country's requirements

market intelligence for the species, such as degree of demand, prices, supply conditions and seasonality

product knowledge, such as species recognition, quality, potential food safety hazards and specifications

techniques used in business to establish and maintain networks

negotiate supply arrangements and seafood prices.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit

Assessment must confirm the ability to:

negotiate, arrange and undertake the export of product from Australia (or other country) that meets the needs of the importing customer and importing customer's country, as well as meeting the exporting country's food safety requirements, and at a profit.

Assessment must confirm knowledge of:

species likely to be in demand overseas

species suitable for export from Australia

AQIS regulations for the preparation and export of product.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment is to be conducted at the workplace or in a simulated work environment.

Resources may include:

a full set of negotiable documentation

access to:

NATA-certified testing laboratories

central fish markets or other seafood suppliers

cold storage facilities

AQIS registered processing/packing establishments

samples of seafood product

examples of customer's specifications

samples of contract to purchase

samples of contract to supply.

Method of assessment

The following assessment methods are suggested:

prepare a full set of negotiable documentation

correspondence or records of discussions with customers and suppliers.

Guidance information for assessment

This unit may be assessed holistically with other units within a qualification.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Relevant government regulations, licensing and other compliance requirements may include:

biodiversity and genetically modified organisms

biosecurity, translocation and quarantine

AQIS requirements

business or workplace operations, policies and practices:

commercial law, including fair trading and trade practices

consumer law

corporate law, including registration, licensing and financial reporting

disability policies and practices

equal opportunity, anti-discrimination and sexual harassment

industrial relations and awards, individual employment contracts and share of catch agreements

jurisdictional variations

superannuation

taxation

trade practices

warnings and dismissals

worker's compensation

ecologically sustainable development (ESD) principles, environmental hazard identification, risk assessment and control

fisheries or aquaculture regulations, permits, licences, quotas, catch restrictions, and other compliance requirements, including:

Australian Exclusive Economic Zone

international treaties and agreements

food safety, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), hygiene and temperature control along chain of custody

occupational health and safety (OHS) hazard identification, risk assessment and control

product quality assurance

correct naming and labelling (e.g. country of origin, Australian Fish Names Standard and eco-labelling)

correct quantities, sizes and other customer requirements

third-party certification (e.g. Australian Grown and ISO 14001:2004 Environmental management systems).

Food safety and hygiene regulations and procedures may include:

Australian Shellfish Sanitation program

display, packaging and sale of food, including seafood and aquatic products

exporting requirements, including AQIS Export Control (Fish) orders

handling and disposal of condemned or recalled seafood products

HACCP, food safety program, and other risk minimisation and quality assurance systems

location, construction and servicing of seafood premises

people, product and place hygiene and sanitation requirements

Primary Products Standard and the Australian Seafood Standard (voluntary)

processing, further processing and preparation of food, including seafood and aquatic products

product labelling, tracing and recall

receipt, storage and transportation of food, including seafood and aquatic products

requirements set out in Australian and New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) Food Standards Code and state and territory food regulations

temperature and contamination control along chain of custody.

Communication may include:

email

face to face

facsimile

letter

telephone and SMS.

Product and market knowledge may include:

AQIS Export Control (Fish) Order

assessment of spoilage defects and parasites

contract to supply

correct marketing name

harvest or fishing area

importing country requirements

local and overseas market situation

potential food safety hazards

presentation of product

prohibited species

protected species

seasonality

shelf life of fresh or frozen product

species' scientific name.

Specifications may include:

delivery point

dried, salted and pickled seafood

fresh and frozen seafood

gross weight or net weight

mode of transport

packaging

product form

species

time of delivery

weight grade, count grade and grade code.

Documentation may include:

contract to purchase/supply

enterprise product testing/quality forms

export documentation in compliance with AQIS requirements

importing countries' requirements.

Transportation may include:

air

containers

rail

road.

Records may include:

AQIS requirements

computer/computer storage

manual/paper file.

Unit sector

Seafood sales and distribution

This unit contains employability skills.